It's What You Make Of It
by QuirkQuirk
Summary: On a tropical island in the middle of a sparkling blue ocean, not everyone considers themselves to be living in paradise. But Sora does. Because really, it all depends on how you look at it... RikuSora AU Oneshot


**Author's Notes:** I started writing this shortly after coming home from a trip to the _dinkiest_ little town in northern Idaho, where everyone is very nice, the land is beautiful, the town is small and quaint and friendly, and there is absolutely _nothing_ to do if you live there year-round. When I got home I was listening to a song, and in thinking about how simple and innocent the lyrics are, I formulated the basis of this fic. To me it's a personal, feel-good fic about just growing up and being a kid and making the best of what you have, so what better pairing to stick with it than Sora/Riku?

**The disclaimer! **Maybe if I close my eyes and wish really REALLY hard, magical pixies will fly down from the skies and deliver the Kingdom Hearts rights straight into my greedy little paws! Until then, I own nothing.

**Pairings:** Sora/Riku, of course.

**Summary:** On a tropical island in the middle of a sparkling blue ocean, not everyone considers themselves to be living in paradise. But Sora does. It all depends on how you look at it... RikuSora AU-ish

**Warnings:** Boyxboy stuffs, scattered mild language, and references to recreational alcohol usage. Typical teenage stuff.

**Other stuff: **If you know the song "Hands Down" by Dashboard Confessional, you'll find that this plot essentially intertwines with the story told by the lyrics. Nifty, huh? X3

**.o.O.o.**

**It's What You Make Of It**

**.o.O.o.**

Sora lived in paradise.

Destiny Islands sat in the middle of a crystal clear, picture-perfect blue ocean, surrounded by coral reefs, colourful fish, and the occasional rumoured mermaid. Shallow stretches of open water surrounded the chain of islands, providing the perfect place to play and swim and snorkel the day away. Or, if you felt so inclined and had access to a boat, further out where the water was deeper, you could spend a lazy day fishing or simply floating about under the warm, sunny skies, bobbing about in the slow, undulating waves.

The islands themselves were covered in trees and beaches and wonderful people. Sandy beaches lined the shores, pristine and warm and inviting. One could lay for hours and hours upon them, sunk into their soft, clean sand, doing nothing more than sleepily lazing the day away, and come evening not feel a bit as though their day was wasted. Lush foliage was scattered through most of the area inland from the beach, except for the places where homes and businesses lay. Towering palm trees swayed in the breeze, and vines blooming with colourful flowers climbed their trunks. Thick, green grass grew up from the sand and dirt, and the lushest bushes and other miscellaneous shrubbery clumped here and there. Birds and butterflies fluttered about, sometimes flying through the blue, cloudless skies all the way in to town, where children and adults alike could glance up and smile at their beauty. The houses were quaint and open and beachy, and even the little downtown areas were friendly and well kept.

The best part was, the island chain had somehow managed to keep from becoming downtrodden by tourists. Sure, people came and went, visiting for short periods of time, but in the end, most of the island was made up of a close-knit community of friends and neighbours and families. Children weren't afraid to play in the streets, no one locked their doors at nights, and friendly dogs wandered around, wagging their tails and getting approving pats on the head.

Yes, Sora lived in paradise, alright.

But it wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

Although that of course depended on whom you asked. The adults would tell you it was so wonderful, so safe, such an overall wonderful and beautiful place to live. The children would be just as excited to tell about all the fun places to play, the bugs and fish to catch, the long, seemingly endless hours of the day to run around in under the sun. But the teenagers, those funny individuals stuck in the middle…

They might have a different story. Yes, they remembered the days of their youth – tan from the sun and the sea, so energetic and alive and without a care in the world – of course they did. But often as children grow up, they loose some of that spark, some of that thrill for living, and it becomes harder to find pleasure in such simple things, make fun out of nothing. The teenagers might tell you they longed for the mainland, or even simply one of the bigger, more industrialized islands, and all of the entertainment they provided. Shopping malls, movies, fashion and celebrities and fads that never quite reached Destiny Islands. They _longed_ for that, wanted the fast paced, utterly busy life afforded by those who lived where they _weren't_. It was what they didn't have, what their little island couldn't provide to them, and as a result, there was a great number of individuals who left the islands, come their late teens. They were off to bigger, better things, and didn't plan on looking back at their small, humble beginnings on an island so separated from the rest of the world with all of it's sharp edges and the rush of things _happening_ all around. For them, the island had lost it's thrill, was no longer a paradise, it was _entrapment_, it was _limitation_, and they wanted _out_.

Not for Sora, though. He still lived in paradise.

Somehow, after all of the long years, Sora had managed to not loose a lot of that childhood spark, that excitement for living. He always had a smile on his face and a mischievous twinkle in his eye, as if the island itself was what gave him life. He was thrilled just to be alive, to live in a place such as he did, and took advantage of all the kind, beautiful things that it offered.

Like Riku.

Riku was Sora's best friend. The two boys had known eachother since a very young age, and were very nearly inseparable. As Riku had grown up, some of his boyish charm had worn off, but being around Sora kept him anchored, kept him from getting bored or full of himself, or too restless with the life the island provided. Most of Sora and Riku's friends were good kids, but none were quite as close, quite as _bonded_ as they two were. They had something special, something no one else had.

Sora lived in paradise.

**.o.x.O.x.o.**

"Breathe in really deep before you jump!" Sora shouted, grinning at Riku and cupping his hands around his mouth so as to be heard over the sound of the crashing waterfall. "And then make a wish!"

"What?" Riku called back, the rush of flowing water overpowering any other sounds or voices trying to reach his ears.

He and Sora were standing on the cliffs above a decently sized waterfall, one on each side of it's thundering plunge. The cool, clear water pounded off of the edge and down into a deep blue pool surrounded by wet stones and trees, and as beautiful as it was, not many people knew about it or came there. The two boys were some of the more frequent visitors. Standing poised at the edge, they had been preparing to jump when Sora had suddenly called out, and although Riku couldn't hear him, he figured it must be something at least mildly important for him to need to say it at the last second like he was doing. Cupping a hand around his ear that was hidden under sleek strands of silver hair, he waited for Sora to repeat himself.

"_BREATHE__… IN… REALLY… DEEP!"_ Sora shouted again, louder this time as he leaned his whole body forward into the effort, a mad grin on his features.

Riku furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Sora, I already know that!" he called back. "We kinda have to do that _every_ time! Unless we want to drown!"

Sora shook his head, russet locks shaking from side to side, apparently frustrated that Riku just wasn't _getting_ it. "No, you don't… EXTRA DEEP THIS TIME! FOR LUCK! THEN YOU MAKE A WISH WHEN YOU JUMP!"

"Uh…" Riku didn't know how to respond. Sora was always coming up with silly, inventive games for them to play, but he didn't really see the point in this one. Oh well, best to just agree with the younger boy. "O…Okay!" he shouted back.

An earsplitting grin was his reward as Sora stepped back into jumping position, looking towards Riku and holding up three fingers.

'One…' he saw Sora mouth as one finger was put down.

"Two…" Riku whispered under his own breath, smirking across the rushing water to Sora as he put down a second finger.

"THREE!" They both shouted at the same time, launching themselves off of the cliffs and down into the cool crystal waters below.

Air rushed by them during their decent, almost overwhelming the sound of the gurgling water below. It was a good fifteen foot drop, but it went by in mere seconds every time. Only at the very last moment did Riku remember that he was supposed to make a wish, and even though it was only one of Sora's made up games, he figured he might as well play along.

'_I wish… I wish this was the best summer of my life.'_

Before Riku could even chastise himself for the completely cheesy and cliché wish, twin explosions of water erupted and both Sora and Riku found themselves completely immersed in the clear depths of the pool.

The first thing Riku heard when he came spluttering up, shaking soaking wet strands of silver hair out of his face, was laughter.

"Hahaha, Riku, that was great!" Sora was laughing, treading his way through the water to his friend. Riku smirked, meeting the brunette halfway and reaching out to gently clock him upside the head. A short tussle ensured, during which Riku tried to shove Sora underwater, only to have the smaller boy come back up, coughing up water with a wide grin before retaliating. Unfortunately due to his slightly smaller size, Sora was unable to effectively get Riku under, and as it became more and more obvious that the fight was getting one-sided, Sora had no choice but to accept defeat. "Hey, alright, cut it out, you're gonna drown me!"

"I'm not gonna _drown_ you, Sora, geeze." Riku chuckled with one last splash before pushing away. "What kind of friend do you take me for?"

"Only the best." Sora retorted with a roll of his azure eyes, reaching out to playfully slap at the older male's shoulder.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." Riku shot back with a smug smirk, swimming towards shore. Sora followed, much less gracefully as he splashed about in a weird little doggie paddle, which, while sufficient enough to keep him afloat, looked rather silly.

"Didn't anyone ever teach you how to swim?" Riku asked, turning onto his back and swimming with long backstrokes provided by his powerful arms.

"Sure." Sora replied, grinning. "But this way is more fun." Riku shook his head in amused disbelief.

"Whatever you say." He laughed.

Pulling out onto the grainy bank, Riku flopped onto his back, chest heaving as rivulets of water ran down his torso. Sora pulled up next to him, laying in a similar fashion to Riku, but with a lot more heaving and sprawling.

"So." Sora began, turning his head towards his friend and not even bothering to push his dripping bangs out of his face. "Didja make a wish?"

"Uh… kinda." Riku admitted with a lopsided smile. "Why did you want to do that, anyways?"

Sora shrugged, shaking his head a bit to keep one persistent spike from dripping water on his nose. "I dunno, I was just thought it's kinda like dropping pennies in a well, right? And anyway, it's always fun to make wishes, right?"

Riku shook his head, resisting the urge to outright laugh but unable to help a few chuckles from slipping out. "Sora… your logic will never cease to amaze me."

"Yeah, well, that's cause I'm just so much more cleverer than you are." Sora retorted, tapping a finger at his temple in demonstration.

Riku snorted in amusement. "Yeah. Right. You sure are 'cleverer' than me, alright." This earned him a playful elbow nudge, which of course meant he had to nudge back, and of course things escalated into a mini-struggle right there on the grainy shoal. Riku only halfheartedly fought back, mostly settling for going on the defensive and keeping Sora's wet, squirming body away from him, but eventually he gave in with a laugh, letting Sora clamber on top of him, flopping down dramatically and grinning triumphantly.

"I win." Sora declared, a bit out of breath. Their noses were nearly touching, and a lock of brown hair dripped water onto Riku's face.

"So I noticed." The older male informed him, shifting a bit to assuage some pressure away from a rock that was digging into the small of his back. Sora propped himself up on his elbows – still atop his friend – and let out a sigh, the air puffing against Riku's cheek.

"Whatta you wanna do now?"

"Bored already?" Riku teased, poking Sora on the nose. The brunette wrinkled in distaste, looking offended at the suggestion.

"No." he replied. "I just wondered if you wanted to jump again, or go swimming some more, or if you were going to just keep lying here getting fat."

"Fat?" Riku cried out, raising an eyebrow and sitting up suddenly, sending Sora tumbling off. "Excuse me, I'll have you know there is not a _hint_ of unnecessary fat in this godly body." Sora laughed, rolling onto his back and letting his head drop back. He closed his eyes and laid an arm over his stomach as he replied, still smiling as rays of light flickered through the trees and created patterns of shadows over his prone form.

"Just kidding, Riku. You vain young man, you."

"Hmmph." Riku murmured in an exhale as he laid back down, also closing his eyes and enjoying the warm breeze that picked up, whispering over their drying skin.

They lay for a while in silence, the birdcalls, rustling foliage, and pounding of the waterfall filling in for their lack of speaking. It was peaceful being out here like this, feeling so separated from the rest of the world, but knowing it was only a short distance away. After a few minutes Riku opened his eyes a fraction, tilting his head towards Sora and taking in the boy's even breathing. Was he falling asleep?

"Hey Sora."

"Hm?" the brunette answered in a vague murmur, lost in the tranquil setting.

So he was awake, even if just barely. "You wanna go to the bonfire tonight? Tidus said everyone was going to be there."

A frown crossed Sora's features, though he didn't open his eyes just yet.

"I dunno, Riku… Last time we went all anybody did was get drunk and fall all over themselves."

"Yeah, well…" Riku wasn't exactly sure how to respond to that. It was true, though, that most of the events involved drinking. It helped to somewhat break up what would otherwise be a monotonously familiar event. The island didn't provide much in the way of entertainment, especially after hours, and drinking at least provided a source of immediate entertainment with minimal effort. Sora didn't usually participate, as alcohol didn't sit well with his system, and although he loved hanging out with everyone, there was always a level of discomfort and distance around him when he ended up being the only one not drinking.

"I mean, I'll go if it's with you, Riku." Sora was saying, and Riku looked back to his friend, who was still in the same position before he slowly turned to his side and opened his eyes to look at Riku. "I just don't like having to keep Wakka from cracking his head open on the rocks the whole time or whatever, you know?"

"Yeah, no, I get it." Riku explained. "But I mean, what else is there to do?"

Sora shrugged and let a smile tilt his lips up into a friendly acceptance. "Okay. We'll go to the bonfire party."

**.o.x.O.x.o.**

Riku smiled and waved to someone across the flickering orange light from the fire, not really sure who it was, but apparently someone who knew him, if they were waving hello. Sora stayed by his side, a crooked grin on his face as he met up with all of his friends. Bonfires usually attracted most of the teens on the island, no matter how small the initial event had been planned out as, and as more and more people arrived, Sora and Riku drifted further and further apart, getting called away by different groups of people. A heavy thump on his back pulled Riku away from a conversation with a girl from his English class, and he turned to see Wakka grinning down at him, shoving a drink into the silver haired boy's grasp, the liquid sloshing dangerously close to spilling out over the edge.

"Riku!" he greeted, swinging an arm over the slighter teen's shoulders. "How's life been treatin' ya?"

"Pretty good." Riku replied with a smile, taking a sip from the cup Wakka had forced upon him. It was slightly bitter, but not altogether bad. "Just hanging out with Sora – he's around here somewhere."

Wakka nodded, giving a quick wave to a blitzball player that tried to flag him down. "Ya, I saw him around here somewhere, I think he found Kairi down by the water."

"Ah." Riku replied, not knowing what else there was to say. He took another sip of his drink, giving a parting nod to Wakka as the readhead headed off to a gaggle of girls that had been giggling and pointing at him for the past minute. Riku wandered off to a couple of guys he recognized from school, only to be stopped halfway there by someone else making a grab at him.

"Riku, my man!"

"Tidus." Riku smirked, without even having to turn around. The blonde came around to face him, holding his fist out so that Riku could gently pound his own on top of it. Typical male greeting. "How're you doing?"

"Great!" Tidus told him, lopsided grin falling all over his face. "Man, don't you just love bonfires? I bet there's gotta be like… damn, like a couple _hundred_ girls here!"

It was a gross exaggeration, but seeing as the boy was obviously already sloshed, Riku decided to let it slide. He took another drink, inspired by Tidus's level of inebriation. "Yeah, I was taking to Wakka a minute ago before he headed off to some of them."

"Oh yeah?" Tidus slurred, tipping a little. "Trying to steal my thunder, eh?" Where'd 'e go?"

"Uh… over that way, I think." Riku replied, pointing in the general direction Wakka had headed off in.

"Great!" Tidus said by way if thanks, clapping Riku on the shoulder before wandering off in the direction he had been pointed in.

Riku wandered around for a little longer, socializing and grabbing a few more drinks before heading over to the firepit and setting himself down on one of the logs that had been rolled around the flames, serving as a makeshift bench of sorts. The large flames licked at the air, snapping and popping in oranges and yellows, and Riku stared into them for a bit before his eyes started to sting from the bright light in the otherwise completely dark surroundings. A couple people stopped to say hello, but none lingered, intent on meeting up with as many people as they could before the night was over. Riku was content with just sitting, however, his buzz making him feel lightheaded and tingly. He was examining the grain of the wood when a pair of legs in a short skirt sat down right in his focus zone, and he looked up to see Kairi's smiling face staring back at him.

"Hey there, stranger." She greeted with a giggle.

"Kairi!" he exclaimed. "How long have you been here? I thought you and Sora met up down at the water?"

"Oh." She said. "Yeah, he was down there a minute ago, but someone asked me to come up here and help set something up, so I had to leave him. I think he said something about staying down there for a bit, though, if you were looking for him."

"Oh, right." Riku replied, wondering if he should excuse himself to go find Sora, but eventually deciding to stay with Kairi, who he hadn't seen in a while. "Well I wasn't looking for him, but I'll meet up with him in a bit, probably."

They talked about how their summers were going so far, what their plans were, how annoying their families were being, what kinds of summer jobs they might apply for, and a few other topics until the space around the firepit started to fill up, groups of friends and couples gathering around the warmth and light and talking loudly Most clutching at bottles and plastic cups, Riku noticed, as he nursed his own drink.

"So where do you think you're heading next year?" Kairi was asking, and Riku turned his attention back to the girl.

"Oh, uh… I hadn't really thought about it yet. I got accepted a few places."

"Oh yeah?" Kairi inquired, sounding interested. "You think you're gonna leave? I know _I'm_ planning on it."

"Yeah… maybe." Riku vaguely answered. "Depends on how things go this summer, I guess…"

In the back of him mind Riku began to wonder where his spiky little brunette friend had gotten off to, but before it could nag at him enough to make him get up and go looking, someone blundered into him and Kairi, nearly upsetting both of them from the log in an attempt at a dual-hug.

"Hey you guys! I was looking all over for you!"

"Hey Sora!"

"There you are!"

With a happy grin, Sora squeezed himself in between his two friends, plopping his butt down on the log and fumbling with a water bottle, unscrewing the lid and taking a drink. Someone who knew him happened by at just that minute and gave him a pat on the back in passing, and he nearly choked on his mouthful of water, the contents dribbling all over his face as he was jostled. Spluttering indignantly, he didn't even get a chance to see who it was that had patted him, and Riku couldn't help but laugh, the humour magnified by the drinks he had consumed.

"Ha ha ha, very funny." Sora grumbled as he screwed the cap back on, tossing it into the sand at his feet. Kairi giggled and took a dainty sip from her own drink, amused by Sora's antics.

"Alright, you guys." She said, standing. "I'm going to go find Selphie, I told her I'd meet up with her. Maybe I'll catch you around later?"

"Sure, Kairi!" Sora replied with a grin and a wave. Riku gave a nod, head starting to spin a little. As soon as Kairi was out of sight, Sora quit waving, turning his attention to the silver haired teen beside him.

"So how do you like the bonfire, Riku?"

"It's pretty good…" Riku drawled. "You having fun?"

Sora shrugged, beginning to kick his legs, heels thumping against the log. "It's fun 'cause you're here."

"Good." Riku vaguely replied. Personally, he was starting to get a little bored. The night was wild for everyone else, drunk off their asses and falling around on eachother, laughing and having a good time as the bonfire roared up into the sky, but Riku was keeping himself in check for Sora, not wanting to create and awkward situation for his friend. Unlike everyone else, he was capable of maintaining a level of self-control.

Sora's legs had started to graze his own as the brunette kicked them back and forth in the sand, smooth skin grazing against smooth skin since they were both still wearing their shorts from earlier in the day. Sharp tingles spread through Riku's body at the contact, and he gave a sidelong glance to Sora, to see what the boy was up to. The smaller boy didn't seem to be consciously aware of what he was doing, though, as he simply looked straight ahead with a content expression. For some reason it frustrated Riku that Sora didn't even know they were touching, and he nudged his leg purposefully against his friend's, getting Sora's attention and causing more pricklings of feeling to shoot through him.

"Yeah, Riku?"

"You were kicking me."

"Oh." Sora replied, blinking owlishly before grinning. "Sorry." He didn't sound very sorry at all, and in the next instant he was kicking again, this time making sure to make skin-on-skin contact every time. A tight knot squeezed in Riku's chest, one that he couldn't quite place through the daze in his mind, and he reached out an arm, slinging it over Sora's shoulders and drawing the boy against his side so that there was no room for kicking.

"Geesh, Riku, didn't know it was bothering you so much." Even if he couldn't see it, Riku could _hear_ the smug grin in Sora's voice, and he sighed. Sora settled more comfortably against the older boy's side after a moment when it became clear that Riku wasn't going to let go, and he rested his mess of spikes in the crook of Riku's neck. The silver haired teen blamed it entirely on the drink he continued to take swigs of, but his heart was beating heavily in his chest, feeling like he was anticipating… what, he wasn't sure, but _something_.

"INCOMING!"

Both Sora and Riku drew back in surprise as someone unexpectedly flopped into the sand at their feet, grinning broadly and trying to keep the cup in his hand from tipping.

"Hi Tidus." Sora greeted with a laugh. "You're really drunk."

"No I'm not." The blonde shot back, hiccupping. "Or, well… okay, maybe just a little teenie tiny smidge." He admitted, holding his thumb and forefinger about a centimeter apart to demonstrate. He looked like the action was requiring all of his efforts to control. Riku rolled his eyes.

"How many drinks have you had, man?"

"Uh…" Tidus tried to count it out on his fingers, but either he didn't have enough digits to count on, or he had lost his ability to count at all, because he gave up after a moment and shrugged, laughing. "I dunno. But dude! Riku. Riku duuuuuuuude! There's a bunch of hot girls right over there and they – hic – they totally want to talk to you."

"Oh?" Riku questioned, interest piqued. Squinting through the darkness he couldn't see who exactly Tidus was referring to, but considered getting up anyways.

"Hm-_hmm_."

Riku turned to look at Sora, who had just pointedly cleared his throat, to see that the younger teen was giving him a disapproving look. The "don't pick up chicks when you're drunk, and by the way man, bros over hoes" look.

"Uh… I'll pass for now." Riku regrettably told the blonde. Tidus sighed dramatically, flopping down in the sand.

"Urgh, what the hell are you guys even _doing_?" he groaned, twisting about. Riku opened his mouth, about to deliver a monotone 'absolutely nothing', when Sora cut in with a 'Oh, not much, but it's fine.'

Riku took that moment to look over at Sora, who was grinning down at Tidus, eyes scrunched closed as he enjoyed just being out with his friends. _Well darn_, Riku realized, _he doesn't have to be doing anything at all, but he's still happy to be here. _Tidus left after a minute, mumbling something about finding Wakka and another drink, and Sora turned his attention back to Riku, beaming up at him and leaning up against his side again. He turned his neck to the side so that he could look Riku in the eye, and sighed happily.

Riku suddenly became acutely aware of their close proximity. That same sense of anticipation pulled taut in his chest once again, and he must have pulled a face, because Sora asked him what was wrong.

"Uh… nothing." He replied. And nothing _was_ wrong, right? It was just Sora, his best friend, cuddling up to him like he always did, and there was absolutely _nothing_ wrong with that.

"You sure?"

Sora was twisting around, their faces inches apart to be heard over the fire and the conversation of all of the other partygoers. Riku took in a breath involuntarily, his focus blurring as his drinks sloshed unfortunately in his stomach, reminding him that he wasn't at his fully, heightened sense of awareness that he normally possessed. Sora's deep blue eyes bore into his own, looking so interested and concerned and like he was thinking… thinking _something_, wanting to _say_ something, and more than anything in the world, Riku just wanted it to _happen_ already so it would be over and done with, whatever it was. Sora leaned in closer, eyes wide and expressive, and Riku started to lean in too, not even knowing what he was expecting… but the moment was suddenly broken by aloud catcall.

"Whoooooooooie! You two gonna get some?"

Riku snapped his head over his shoulder, seeing Tidus swaying on his feet a few yards away, bracing himself against Wakka as he gave the pair a thumbs-up. Riku sighed, closing his eyes and rubbing his temples, trying to clear his head. Looking back to Sora, the boy was still staring at him with a questioning expression. All around them people were drinking and smoking and falling all over eachother and making out in the sand because there was nothing better to do at night on Destiny Islands if you were a teenager except sleep or go out and party and get drunk and have sex, and all of a sudden it was too much for Riku's brain to take in, because as much as he wanted to just give in and participate in the party, Sora was right there looking at him and depending on him, and he just couldn't deal with it anymore.

"Hey Sora?" Riku asked, opening his eyes and looking at his best friend. "You wanna get out of here?"

**.o.x.O.x.o.**

"Shh, Sora, be quieter."

A careless laugh. "Oh come on, Riku, like anyone's gonna care. There's no one around to hear us, no matter _how_ much noise we make!"

Riku grumbled under his breath, his sense of hearing annoyingly heightened as the last of his drink faded from his system. Sora was plunging through bushes and underbrush, pushing aside branches as they made their way to their special place in the centre of the old play island. After ditching out on the party, the two had tried to figure out where on earth else might be somewhere to go in the middle of the night, and when Sora had suggested the play island, Riku hadn't raised any objections. About halfway out to it, rowing in a tiny little boat in the cold, salty waters, it had struck him as what a stupid idea it had been, and if he'd been thinking straight he never would have gone along with it, but at that point it had been a little late to turn around. And now there they were, plunging through the thick foliage in the centre of the play island, Sora leading them to… where, Riku wasn't sure, but he wished they'd just _get_ there already, because his head was starting to throb a little as it cleared, and sticks and leaves were getting stuck all over in his normally well-kept hair and clothing.

"Sora, how much further is – oof."

Riku stumbled a little as his chest quite forcefully ran into Sora's back. The younger boy stooped down, sweeping away brush and vines from a rock formation, and with sudden realization, Riku realized where the brunette had led them.

"Holy shit." He mumbled in awe under his breath, trying to get his eyes to focus. "Sora, this is – "

"Our special place." Sora finished, looking up over his shoulder at Riku. "It's all overgrown, but it's still here." With a final, forceful tug, Sora dislodged the last of the foliage that had grown over the entrance, falling back on his rear and laughing. "Come on, Riku, let's go in!"

"I… I dunno." Riku started, skeptical about how smart of an idea this was. "I mean come on, Sora, it's a cave and no one's been in there for years. There's gonna be all sorts of spiders and rats and – "

"Spiders!" Sora laughed, standing up and brushing his butt off. "The Great Riku is afraid of some itty bitty spiders?" Riku knew a challenge when he heard one, and this one was being shoved right in his face, neon signs blinking and pointing right at it, taunting him.

"Whatever." He replied, refusing to acknowledge the goading as he got down to his hands and knees, creeping into the space carved out of the rocks. "Come on, let's go."

"That's what I wanted to hear!" Sora grinned, crouching down and crawling into their childhood hideout.

It was dark out on the island, and inside the rock it was even darker. Occasional beams of moonlight would filter in from cracks and splits in the rocks, but for the most part the boys had to rely on their other senses, reaching out and touching to 'see' the way, listening for the dripping of water or the sifting of sand, their skin prickling in patches of goosbumps every time a cool breeze found a way to slip in. It was a little unsettling, crawling through a small passage of rock in the complete dark, but Sora was actually humming a scattered melody to himself, so Riku pushed away worries of cave-ins and wild animals.

A little gasp from Sora was Riku's only warning before the smaller male suddenly scrambled ahead, loose rocks scattering under his feet as he squabbled around in the dark, sounding excited.

"We found it, Riku!"

Furrowing his brows and reaching out, Riku found that he couldn't touch the sides or ceiling of the cave anymore, meaning it had opened up into the large room where they had played as children. It was strange being in the same place now, older and wiser. It brought about a strange sense of nostalgia, because everything was exactly the same as they had last left it, but at the same time it was completely different.

"Hey Riku, help me find the… oh wait, I think… nevermind. I'm trying to find the – A-HA!"

A quick scratch on the rock wall preceded a small burst of flame that suddenly went up on the end of a match, revealing Sora's grinning, pleased expression.

"We always left matches and a lantern here, remember? For when we wanted to say we were having a sleepover at eachother's houses, but then sneak out and camp out overnight on the island instead!"

And Riku _did_ remember, how could he have forgotten? As Sora brought the match to a rusty old lantern, holding it to the wick and waiting for it to catch flame, Riku thought back to all of the times they had been out here before, just the two of them. He and Sora had hung out with Kairi for a good portion of their childhood years, nearly inseparable, but for some reason they had always continued to have 'boys only' secret adventures, sneaking out at night and having duels with their wooden swords under the light of thousands upon thousands of brilliant, shimmering stars.

As the lantern's wick caught flame, a soft yellow light spread across the cave floor and walls, vaguely illuminating their surroundings. Sora scooted closer to Riku, bathing the older male in flickering lamplight and settling himself comfortably against his silver haired friend. Riku sighed, leaning back against the cave wall. Across the room, he could still see the outlines of the crude cave paintings they had slopped on the rock as kids, and it brought a fond smile to his face. He turned his head to look at Sora, only to find that the brunette was already fixing his gaze right at him, and as their eyes met Riku fidgeted slightly, feeling like he had gotten himself caught doing something he shouldn't have been doing. Looking away, Riku saw Sora set the lantern down out of the corner of his eye, and felt the smaller boy scoot even closer, tucking his head underneath his friend's chin and entwining their fingers. Riku fidgeted, slightly uncomfortable with such intimate shows of affection. Not because he didn't like it, but because Sora had always been this way, and he never quite knew how to react to it.

"It's nice here with just the two of us, huh?"

Riku didn't immediately know how to respond, sensing that Sora might be searching for some deep, heartfelt answer, but eventually he settled on a simple "Yeah. Yeah, it is." which he hoped would suffice.

"I mean… I like seeing everyone at the parties, but it's not the same, you know?" Sora sighed, nuzzling the side of his face into the crook of Riku's neck. Riku gulped. Even for Sora, this was pushing their boundaries. "I like it best when it's just you and me. Everyone else is nice, but they're not like us. We have something special that they don't."

And Sora was right, of course. Sitting there together with the warm glow of the lantern washing over them, casting deep shadows over their features, Riku felt like he'd much rather be here than at some stupid party that was just the same as the one thrown the previous night, and two nights before that. Sora broke up the monotony, with his retained sense of childlike wonder and adventure. Out there Riku was always proving himself, holding up an image, but here alone with Sora there was nothing but them. Just together as friends.

"And it's kinda exciting being here, right?" Sora was continuing, pulling away to look up into Riku's face with a wide grin. "No one else in the world knows where we are, it's like we're in our own little universe, just us. Completely undiscovered."

A smirk tugged at Riku's lips before he could help it. "You're never going to stop making up all of those stories and adventures in your head, are you?"

"Of course not!" Sora proudly answered. "It's better than what all of them are doing right now, anyways. They get one night of fuzzy drunken memories, and I get to keep my imagination forever. I'm pretty sure Tidus isn't even going to remember tonight by tomorrow."

"Heh, yeah. Probably a good thing, too, that idiot." Riku chuckled fondly.

"Yeah, and we're safe from all his stupid questions in here." Sora added with a laugh. "I mean 'hey, you guys gonna get some?' Come on."

"Heh heh… yeah." Riku agreed, suddenly feeling a little awkward. He remembered feeling slightly disappointed when their friend had posed the question. As if he knew the answer to it but didn't like it. A result of his then-inebriation, of course, but it still nagged at him, as if it were a loose moth trapped in his mind, trying to find it's way out into the light so that everything would be clear and make sense again. He noticed that Sora still hadn't let go of his hand.

Riku felt a sudden desire for Sora to sit closer again, and he threw an arm over the younger boy's shoulder, hauling him the few remaining inches across the dusty floor until he was flush up against Riku's side. Sora smiled and settled in, re-grabbing for Riku's hand and lacing their fingers together. Riku's cheeks heated in embarrassment, but he thanked the fact that at least now they were alone, away from prying eyes and invasive queries. At least now, whatever happened, there wasn't anyone around to ruin it.

**.o.x.O.x.o.**

When Riku's eyes opened to the last flickering attempts at light from the old, worn lantern, Sora leaning up against his side as they both slumped against the cave wall, he concluded that they must have fallen asleep. Pushing himself up a little while being careful not to jostle Sora too much, Riku checked his phone for the time, and found that it was a little past two in the morning. Probably time to start heading home. As he shifted again, something small and uncomfortable jabbed him in the side, and he pulled a small trinket out from under him. In what little light was left, Riku examined it, and found it to be a small bracelet of some kind, with a little paopu charm dangling off of it. Setting it aside for the moment, he carefully nudged Sora awake by gently shaking the boy's shoulder.

"Sora… hey Sora. Come on, get up."

"Mnn…" Stirring awake, Sora took in his surroundings through clouded blue eyes before realizing where they were, and then with a jolt he sat up, looking around excitedly. "Hey, we're in the cave!"

Riku shook his head in amusement. "Those are some pretty keen observational skills you've got there." He commented.

"Yeah, you're just jealous." Sora shot back, sticking his tongue out.

"Oh yes. Very." Riku dryly admitted, a sparkle on the floor catching his eye. He once again picked up the bracelet, holding it out to Sora. "Hey, do you recognize this?"

Sora skeptically looked the bangle over, considering. "I'm not sure… maybe something of Kairi's from a long time ago?"

"Yeah, that's what I figured." Riku affirmed. "Do you think she'd want it back?"

Sora shrugged. "I dunno… it's kinda scuffed and not very pretty anymore. I don't think she'd wear it." Riku nodded, then before he could help himself, he suggested an alternative means of finding it a place to belong.

"Do you want it?"

The moment the words left his mouth, Riku felt incredibly stupid. Of _course_ Sora didn't want it – it was a silly little girl's bracelet, and Riku was holding it out like some special gift. _Stupid, stupid, stupid_!

But then Sora was reaching out, taking it from Riku's hands and looking it over. It make Riku a little nervous. For some reason he wanted Sora to keep it, the thought of him just tossing it away made him a little miserable. Sora was playing with the chain, toying with the little fruit charm, and then he was undoing the latch, clipping it around his wrist and securing it carefully before smiling up at Riku.

"I think I'll keep it. We found it together, and it'd be sad to just leave it here in the dark."

Riku let out a relieved breath that he hadn't been aware he was holding. Standing up, he brushed his shorts off before offering out a hand to Sora, who accepted it and was pulled up with a little more force than he was expecting, resulting in a collision of chests. Laughing, Sora stepped back, observing the nearly dead lantern light before commenting that they probably ought to start heading home.

As the two friends headed for the boat that was tethered up on the beach, Riku couldn't help but think that the evening had been one of the better ones he'd had in a while. In fact, the whole day had been pretty great, even in it's relative uneventfulness. They rowed back to the main island, just as they had so many times before, and it was all so familiar to Riku, and at the same time he hadn't even remembered to miss it until just a few hours ago.

Docking the little rowboat at a boardwalk, Sora and Riku walked down the wide open streets, not even bothering to use the sidewalk. They lived in the same neighbourhood, on the same block, in the same houses they always had, ever since they were kids, and it was times like this that proved how convenient it was. In the distance on the beach they could see the still lingering beach party, a stereo muted from the distance, but providing a pleasant background thrum as they made their way away from the beach and back to their homes. The streetlights illuminated the empty streets in a soft glow, guiding the way, and the closer to home they got, the more reluctant Sora seemed to continue. Eventually Riku stopped, looking Sora over and trying to figure out what was going on.

"Sora, what's up? You keep hanging back…"

The brunette grinned sheepishly, raising a hand to run fingers through his hair, tugging at the strands as a nervous habit. He stepped closer to Riku, looking up into his friend's face, and Riku caught a hint of the milky sweet shampoo that Sora favoured, mixed with the clean smell of sand and ocean water that had accumulated during their trips to the beach that day.

"Well…" Sora began. "I just… yanno, don't really want the evening to end just yet, I guess." He admitted, looking a little embarrassed.

Riku rolled his eyes, smirking and ruffling the younger boy's spikes. "There's always tomorrow."

But he knew what Sora meant. The day had been special – it had been a _them_ day, something that hadn't had in some time, not like this at least – and the moment they parted ways and went into their separate homes the magic would be broken, and even though they could probably create more memorable days like the one they had just shared, it was inevitable that they would both want to keep grasping on to it until the very last possible moment.

"Yeah…" Sora relented, resuming the walk back to their homes, overlarge shoes clunking noisily in the otherwise desolate streets. "I guess you're right. Besides, pretty soon it won't even still technically be today anymore."

Riku couldn't help but arch a fine silver eyebrow at this. "What do you mean?"

Sora looked back at him with a look that clearly implied 'well isn't it obvious?', but he elaborated in words. "Well you know, the clock strikes twelve and we all turn back into pumpkins and all that." Riku couldn't help but let out an amused snort at that.

"Sora, it's been past midnight for like… two and a half hours. You've been a pumpkin for a while now, how did you not notice?"

At hearing this, Sora's face instantly turned from resigned to ending the day but content, to startled and upset.

"Are you kidding me?! Holy crap, I told my mom I'd be home by one, I had no idea that we… Crap, I gotta get home."

And with that Sora took off, his footfalls echoing loudly in the silence of the empty streets. It took Riku a moment to register what was going on, but when he finally realized that Sora was running off all on his own, he hurriedly took off after him.

By the time he caught up to Sora (who had admittedly had a good bit of a head start) they were both almost on their block, the streets wet and reflecting the streetlamps. The sprinklers must have gone off some time ago. Sora slowed himself down as he reached the flowering vine-covered, iron-wrought gate that blocked his access. Rattling the bars, he let out a frustrated growl, a look of anguish on his face.

"_Crap_, Riku, the gate's locked. My mom's gonna _kill_ me!"

Riku drew up alongside his friend, assessing the situation. "Can't you just reach through and pull the lock up?"

"No, no, this stupid gate is weird, it doesn't work like that. It's got like… you can only open it like that from the inside, unless you have a key."

"Well don't you have a spare key?"

"Well _yeah_." Sora related. "But for some reason it's on the _other_ side, and if I go clambering over the gate it's gonna –"

Before Sora could even finish his sentence, Riku was gracefully and soundlessly hoisting himself up, jumping the gate without so much as a creak or rattle of protest. With a jingling of the latch, the gate slid open, only minimal squeaking of the hinges giving them away.

"Riku!" Sora exclaimed in an excited whisper as he launched himself at his friend, wrapping his arms around Riku's chest. "Oh gosh, _thank you_!"

"No problem." Riku assured him with a chuckle, patting his back. "But why'd your mom lock you out?"

"Uh…" Stopping to think about it, Sora's brow furrowed in confused thought. "You know, I guess she just assumed I wasn't coming home and locked up for the night. Maybe I'm _not _in trouble… Heh heh, whoops."

"Sora…" Riku got out in a teasing growl, exasperated by how easily Sora got ahead of himself sometimes, jumping to drastic conclusions where they weren't meant to be drawn.

"Hey, but the point is, you jumped the gate and let me in anyways, even when I might have been in huge trouble!"

Riku shook his head, lowly laughing to himself as he followed after Sora, who was heading up his front steps to the door. The smaller boy turned, grabbing Riku and pulling him up the steps to crush him into a bruising embrace.

"Ack, Sora, come on, you gotta let up a bit…" Riku quietly scolded, unable to keep the amusement out of his voice. Sora pulled back after a moment, looking up at Riku with bright, shining eyes and a soft, sincere smile.

"Thanks, Riku." He quietly said. "For… today. Hanging out with me like old times. I really enjoyed it." Riku nodded, smiling back as he pushed a lock of chocolate hair out of Sora's face.

"Not a problem. It was cool."

"No, I mean it, Riku. You're the best. I don't know what I'd do without you. Everyone else… they don't _get_ it like us. They're tired of being here. But… as long as I've got you, I don't think it matters where we are. We make it amazing no matter what."

"I…" Riku was a bit taken aback by the sudden flood of admissions from his shorter friend, and he couldn't think of how to respond. "I, uh… yeah, it –"

"You don't have to say it." Sora said, grinning and rolling his eyes. "I know you're like… _cool_ and everything. But you're still the best friend in the world, so thanks."

Riku gaped, mouth working to form words, to try and make some of the awkwardness of the one-sided confession of devotion go away, but found that he was unable to come up with anything. It wasn't as though he didn't feel the same way; he just had no idea how to try to put it into words without it sounding incredibly lame, even in his head.

Sora laughed, shaking his head. "You think too much, Riku."

Without warning, Sora placed his hands on Riku's waist, pushing himself up onto his tiptoes and placing a gentle kiss to Riku's lips. Riku's mind reeled, and he didn't immediately respond – not kissing back, but certainly not pushing his friend away either – and all he could think of was how _genuine_ the action was on Sora's part. Maybe he _was_ thinking too much. Sora certainly wasn't fretting over it as he delicately applied pressure to Riku's still-unresponsive lips. Sora just… he just _meant_ _it_ was all; he was just expressing himself the same as he always did, not caring what anyone else thought.

Slowly, Sora pulled back, a slanted smile on his face, something like a smug smirk, or as close to it as Sora could get. "I'll see you tomorrow?" he asked, and Riku nodded. He felt strangely content, despite the potentially earth-shattering realization that was slowly revealing itself in Riku's mind.

Laughing, Sora stretched up one more time, giving Riku a quick parting kiss, and this time the silver haired teen tentatively responded. Smiling as he pulled away, Sora reached behind himself to turn the door handle, silently pulling it open and backing in with a small wave and a quiet goodnight.

Riku stood there for a second longer, trying to process everything that had just happened. When he found that the only thing he was feeling was satisfied and content at how the evening had turned out, he smiled.

Turning and walking back down Sora's walkway, he let himself out the gate and headed to his own house. Looking up at the sky, the stars were bright and the silhouettes of palm trees were faintly apparent on the horizon. Riku let out a long breath he hadn't realized he had been holding.

He was lucky to live in such a paradise.

The end.

So there ya go. Just a fluffy little oneshot that my mind created, but I hope it was enjoyed! Maybe you could take a minute to tell me what you thought:3


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